Could you pass a citizenship test?

Wednesday

How do you think you’d do on a citizenship test? Let’s find out. Here are 35 questions from the sample test.

Many communities are welcoming their newest U.S. citizens with naturalization ceremonies.

What did they have to know to become citizens?

Especially with the Fourth of July — the anniversary of a declaration that Americans were citizens of a brand-new, independent nation — coming up, we've been curious about what immigrants are expected to know before they can become naturalized citizens.

As part of their interview with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, they have to pass a civics test that demonstrates their command of basic written and spoken English and their knowledge of the country’s history and founding documents.

The government makes study aids, including vocabulary word lists and flash cards, available at: www.uscis.gov

They also can study a 100-question sample test. The questions, which may or may not end up on the real test, range from the easy (name two national holidays) to the challenging (How many amendments does the Constitution have?). Some questions have more than one answer.

How do you think you’d do on such a test?

Let’s find out. Here are 35 questions from the sample test.

1. What does the Constitution do?

2. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution?

3. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

4. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

5. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

6. What is freedom of religion?

7. What is the economic system in the United States?

8. What is the “rule of law”?

9. Name one branch or part of the government.

10. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

11. How many U.S. senators are there?

12. We elect a U.S. senator for how many years?

13. Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators?

14. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

15. We elect a U.S. representative for how many years?

16. Whom does a U.S. senator represent?

17. Why do some states have more representatives than other states?

18. We elect a president for how many years?

19. If both the president and the vice president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

20. What does the president’s Cabinet do?

21. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

22. What does the judicial branch do?

23. How many justices are on the U.S. Supreme Court?

24. Who is the chief justice of the United States?

25. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

26. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

27. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

29. What are two rights only for United States citizens?

30. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

31. When was the Constitution written?

32. Who was president during World War I?

33. Whom did the United States fight in World War II?

34. Name one U.S. territory.

35. Name two national U.S. holidays.

CITIZENSHIP TEST ANSWERS

1. Sets up the government; defines the government; protects basic rights of Americans

2. The Bill of Rights

3. Speech, religion, assembly, press, petition the government

4. 27

5. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

6. You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

7. Capitalist economy, market economy

8. Everyone must follow the law. Leaders must obey the law. Government must obey the law. No one is above the law.

9. Congress or legislative; president or executive; the courts or judicial